Wat Tyler: The Big Beef Speech

It was exactly what we’d seen on the tin - George Osborne’s big platform speech reiterated the points he’d been making all week - “I want lower taxes” but “there’s no such thing as a tax cutting Shadow Chancellor”.

And this was very much a speech about returning to power, not economic policy. His opening words were about how for the first time in a generation we have a real chance of returning to government, and how we’ve only got here because we’ve “changed to win”.

But to fully convince voters, “we must win the argument on the economy”. Which to George means not only ruling out tax cuts “at the expense of public services”, but also making sure we don’t risk people thinking we will take chances with economic stability. So this is an issue of managing perceptions, not of making difficult economic choices, still less of implementing traditional Conservative principles.

Of course, the only reason we even have this problem, is our wretched experience with the ERM. That catastrophe racked up mortgage rates and lost us our long-held reputation for economic competence.

And the supreme irony is that ERM membership was something a Conservative government did against the instincts of many, many Conservative members, who never wanted it in the first place.

Unsurprisingly, the biggest applause of his entire speech was when he pledged Cameron’s Conservatives would never join the Euro. But it isn’t lost on party members that here we have another leadership pursuing an economic policy which is contrary to the instincts of many of them.

So was there anything for beef-eaters? Not much, it must be said. But there was one phrase that stuck out - “we will deliver more than we promise”. It was hardly a dog-whistle, still less a commitment. But combine it with George’s repeated assurance that “over an economic cycle, the state will consume a smaller share of national income”, and maybe, just maybe, lower taxes remain on the menu.

Comments

[James Maskell]

Theres so little meat, Im chewing on bones and getting splinters in my mouth. Its been 10 months! Osborne can talk about returning to Government all he wants, but unless we have some solid economic policies, supported with intellectual foundations, we're going to find it incredibly hard to win the next election.

[James Hellyer]

At least he didn't upset the disabled today.

[James Maskell]

Theres still time...

[spagbob]

"But there was one phrase that stuck out - “we will deliver more than we promise”. It was hardly a dog-whistle, still less a commitment"

i have been saying this all along - the party will cut taxes and all these tax debates this week are pointless, it just has to prove it is economically competent to first. it has to get into government and reduce waste to prove that it can and therefore give tax cuts. im sure osborne is planning tax cuts, he just cant tell the public that yet because they'll think he'll cut public services. he has to prove he can and that requires him being in government. lets stop this silly division over whether tax cuts are necessary or not - we know they are, but the party needs to prove itself first.